1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a rocking and gliding mechanism for a chair or sofa.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Rocking and gliding mechanisms for chairs or sofas of the type described herein are disclosed, for example in U.S. Pat. No. 5,427,433, issued to R. E. Holobough Jr. on Jun. 27, 1995; U.S. Pat. No. 5,947,557, issued to P. Bellefleur on Sep. 7, 1999 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,092,870, issued to C. Desnoyers et al on Jul. 25, 2000, and U.S. Patent Application No. 2003/0015900, published on Jan. 23, 2003.
More often than not, currently existing gliding and rocking mechanisms are structurally complicated and/or present stability problems; i.e. the chair or sofas mounted on the mechanisms tend to move laterally as well as forward and backwards during gliding or rocking. Thus, the chairs or sofas do not have a smooth gliding action. Mechanisms including a plurality of linkages in the form of pivotally interconnected bars, strips or sheets of metal are often bulky and expensive to produce.